Oh no! Just how many variations on the same design can the market take? I guess the fair answer to that is different from person to person and there's always the good old saying according to which you shouldn't fix something that is not broken (or, in this case, that still sells). Apple's iPhones look fairly the same; of course there are differences from one major iteration to the other (3, 4, 5) but the design principle is alike. Before Samsung launched its Galaxy S 4 I was praying for a new design because the current pebble-like aspect has been used and abused like a good old... Galaxy S ...

AT&T announced last week that it would start accepting pre-orders for the Galaxy S 4 on April 16, costing just about $250 on a two-year contract. Being so used to phones going for $200 under subsidies, that news had us fearful that the tide could be turning, and flagship models could regularly start demanding such premium prices. As it turns out, our concerns were a little premature, as AT&T has now updated its announcement to clarify the details of just how the GS4 will be priced. Yes, AT&T will sell the 32GB GS4 for $250 on contract, but it will also have the 16GB version for ...

What do we know about the Galaxy S 4's arrival? We've heard "late April" for certain international availability, while carriers in the US have been looking to early May. Can we do a little better than that, though? Some newly-leaked info hopes to identify just which versions of the GS4 might arrive, and when. This info pertains specifically to Eastern Europe nations, and while some of these dates could be unique to that region, there's also a chance that this data could reflect upon Samsung's larger, global plans. Supposedly, the 16GB 3G GS4 will ship to retailers the week of April 15. ...

Sometimes there are good technical reasons for why one version of a smartphone runs one chipset, and another version of the very same phone is powered by different silicon. A lot of times, that has to do with wireless connectivity, and especially with the rise of LTE over the past few years, that could mean that LTE-supporting hardware had to be put together with alternate chipsets. You might think that was the same case with the Galaxy S 4 and the Exynos 5 Octa, since the LTE version of the phone, model GT-I9505, runs a Snapdragon 600 SoC. As Samsung has now confirmed, the Exynos 5 Octa ...

The gold-standard pricing for smartphone launches has been about $200. Sure, we see the occasional flagship model that arrives with a lower price tag, like the Lumia 920 did, and there's a phone every once in a while that demands a premium price, like the Galaxy Note II. As we learn about the start of pre-orders for Samsung's Galaxy S 4, it's looking like the handset will fall into that latter category, as AT&T has confirmed plans to sell the phone for $250, on-contract. AT&T will open pre-orders for the GS4 on April 16, though it hasn't yet confirmed precisely when those orders ...

By moving from the Galaxy S III's 2100mAh battery up to 2600mAh for the Galaxy S 4, Samsung assured that we'd be paying close attention to just how long the GS4 would function on a single charge; will there be improvements as substantial as those numbers imply? We've got some new battery torture-test figures to check out, and from the looks of things, the GS4 really will deliver on those promises of a longer battery life. While the results are generally quite good overall, it's not a slam dunk; no matter what test we're looking at, there are always models that will outperform the GS4. For ...

Can't wait until the Galaxy S 4 gets here? T-Mobile, for one, has revealed that it intends to offer the GS4 beginning May 1, but that's still a whole month you'll need to wait. To help you pass the time, you might want to check out some of the latest GS4 files to become available, pulled from a GS4 system dump. The Galaxy S 4 ringtones and wallpapers aren't the most exciting things to get your hands on, we realize, but if playing dress-up with your GS3 is able to make you feel like you've already got a GS4, even just a little bit, it might a minute or two of your time. The S Voice APK is ...

I'll admit it: covering the Galaxy S 4 launch last Thursday, I found myself a little underwhelmed. Maybe it was Samsung spending so much time focused on software features that felt like they'd be just as at home on the Galaxy S III. Maybe it was how little the phone seemed to offer over other just-announced 1080p models. Ultimately, the GS4 just seemed "fine." Not earth-shattering, but good enough. After all was said and done, and I had the luxury of sitting back and reading what some other minds had to say about the launch, I found myself a little bit surprised; people seemed genuinely ...

The Galaxy S 4 sure has a lot of nice hardware, and as some pretty state-of-the-art components, they're bound to cost us a pretty penny. Just how much will you end up shelling-out for the GS4? It's too early for us to see what the carriers are planning to charge you with their subsidized rates, but we do have a little information for you, upon estimates arriving of the cost to manufacture the handset, as well as Samsung itself sharing the phone's approximate retail value. First up, what does it cost Samsung to make the GS4: parts, manufacturing, and all? Well, iSuppli crunched the numbers ...

Samsung's had a rocky relationship with Android developers. Sometimes it seems like the company is a strong proponent of the custom ROM community, while other times its actions (or lack thereof) make life a headache for developers trying to maintain software for its products. Last fall, the company had to practically be dragged kicking and screaming in order to consider releasing needed Exynos documentation, and it doesn't look like the community has forgotten just how difficult Samsung can be. Now, with the Galaxy S 4 about to land, rumors have started flying about that there won't be a ...

Most technology demos start off by a well spoken executive talking about how great in general his new device is, because it's going to give him that much bigger boat/jet/whatever. Then, a photogenic engineer comes on and tells you about some stuff, followed by another photogenic engineer, etc. Samsung brought actual actors to the stage to not only tell you what their new phone did, but also to show you what their new phone did. Actors reenacted little scenes on a stage where Samsung's new and innovative software rode in to save the day during a tap dance recital, a backpacking trip to ...

Last week, following the introduction of the Galaxy S 4, we talked a little about Samsung's promises to bring some of the GS4's features to existing Samsung models. Today, we're back to looking at what the future holds for updates to a number of Samsung devices, this time concerning the possibility of them seeing get Android 5.0. This info is supposedly a "pre-list" from a Samsung insider, and the data may change between now and when Samsung makes its final decisions. Basically, of all Samsung Androids currently announced, only the Galaxy S 4, the GS3, the Note II, Note 8.0, and Note 10.1 ...

Samsung has finally gone official with its next Android flagship, the Galaxy S 4, and went all-out for a launch extravaganza the likes of which we haven't seen before. Whether you think Samsung didn't go far enough with the phone's design and features, or if it was everything you were hoping for, it's hard to deny that the company debuted a handset that just screams "Samsung." On the whole, early reactions to the phone seem quite positive, and even if it wasn't quite what you wanted, there's still a lot here to like. Specifications We were on the fence about what to expect from the GS4's ...

Samsung sure spent a lot of time at last night's Galaxy S 4 launch event talking about the phone's software; indeed, by comparison, hardware was esentially glossed right over, and we weren't able to confirm several key specs until getting to see the company's press release. For owners of existing Samsung phones, that may have gotten you a little hopeful, wondering if you might see some of these same features migrate to your older hardware. While the full picture isn't yet available, some early comments from a Samsung exec sound very promising. Samsung VP Nick DiCarlo spoke about the ...

Software, for the time being, is the biggest differentiation between the Galaxy S III and Galaxy S 4 by Samsung. Sure, as it's been explained countless times now, the specifications are different. The S4 has a larger, much more dense display, a faster processor (on both models) with more cores, the battery has 500 more milliamp-hours and the camera is a 13-megapixel sensor, versus 8-megapixels in the older model. But as I explained earlier today, the real world performance advantages between the Galaxy S III and Galaxy S 4 will ultimately be negligible. The only truly significant upgrade ...

The world, Android world, that is, is a better, happier place, now that we have all the major players out there with their flagship phones, including Sony, HTC, and Samsung. Of course we're waiting on the next Nexus and the Motorola's X-Phone -- even some others -- but the flagships are, as of last night, all out there. We've already reviewed the Sony Xperia Z (and the ZL is currently being dissected in our labs) but we're yet to give our final nod to the HTC One -- sometime mid-next week, after three different people dissect it (Anton, Brandon, and Michael) -- while we're eagerly waiting ...

Having sold over 50 million Galaxy S IIIs worldwide, the Galaxy S brand has quickly become a common household name. And we all were expecting big things from Samsung for the follow-up device. Weeks of rumors and leaks alleged the successor would be more of an incremental upgrade, sharing a nearly identical design and offering specification upgrade to catch it up to the host of 5-inch 1080p flagships unveiled earlier this year. Yesterday evening, all speculation was put to rest as the Galaxy S 4 was made official and detailed in grandiose style. A tap dancer, cheesy scenario role-plays and ...

The Galaxy S 4 has spilled its secrets, and now our attention shifts from simply wondering what the GS4 will be, to how it will be received. Initial reactions seem mixed, ranging from enthusiasm towards the new hardware and software options, to disappointment that the phone simply doesn't innovate enough. In the end, sales figures will speak for themselves, but until those are available, pre-sales interest in the Galaxy S 4 indicates that it could be Samsung's best-selling model to date. Retailer Phones4U isn't accepting pre-orders just yet, but it does have a registration page up for ...

Man, the Galaxy S 4 launch is not bringing out a lot of goodwill from the other big smartphone companies. We've already seen LG's aggressive Times Squares ad, heard Apple complain about the phone's "year old" software, and now HTC's got a few things to say about the GS4 and its launch; as shouldn't be surprising, they're nothing positive. HTC President Jason MacKenzie (above) was simply not digging Samsung's theatrical launch event, saying that he "went from laughing to actually feeling embarrassed at some of the acting." We've all heard the figures outlining the sky-high sums Samsung ...

The wait is over! After months and months of rumors, the Samsung Galaxy S IV is finally official, ushered into the world in high style at Samsung's elaborate Radio City Musical Hall launch event. We weren't just there for the festivities, though; we came prepared to spend some one-on-one time with the Samsung flagship Android itself. Does the GS4 live up to the hype? Check out our hands-on video below to get our first impressions of Samsung's most powerful smartphone yet:

Samsung's new Galaxy S IV may face some stiff competition from the other Android big boys in the ring, but that's not even considering the battle it will wage against Apple. While we look to new iPhones over the horizon, the iPhone 5 is still the handset the GS4 is going to have to answer to for the time being, so let's see how these two measure up. The Galaxy S IV may be the fiercest fight the iPhone 5 has ever faced; will the latter's age start to show against the GS4's cutting-edge hardware? Can all of Samsung's attractive software features draw users away from the reliable allure of ...

While Sony and LG have some nice new additions to their Android lineups, in a lot of people's minds the question is simply "HTC or Samsung?" The HTC One manages to squeeze its 1080p screen into a smaller 4.7-inch form factor, and delivers features like a metal construction and big, stereo speakers. Samsung stuck with plastic for the Galaxy S IV, but its Super AMOLED screen is sure to turn some heads, and between Air View, Air Gesture, Smart Scroll, and Smart Pause, it's got some pretty darn compelling features of its own. Which is the right Android for you? Check out our comparison of ...

Black Mist and White Frost: no, those aren't a pair of unimaginative off-brand superheros from the '70s, but how Samsung has chosen to present the color options for its new Galaxy S IV. There's no Marble White and Pebble Blue this time around (and hopefully without the manufacturing snags the latter saw), but just a simple choice between neutrals. Samsung says that more color choices are coming later this year, which pretty much matches the slowly growing selection we've seen for models like the GS3 and Note II, but for now, these are your selections. Which looks the best? You'll want to ...

Samsung's Galaxy S III rode the wave of success of the Galaxy S II to become the company's most popular Android to date. It's had a whirlwind of a year, and tonight it finally gets to meet its successor. For all its improvements, the GS4 sure resembles the GS3 in many ways. Will the beefed-up hardware and all the new software features be enough to drag users away from their GS3s and entice them to upgrade? We put both Samsung flagships head-to-head at the company's NYC launch event tonight in order to show you how they really stack up. Check it out:

A little over ten months ago, Samsung revealed the Galaxy S III to the world, and in the months that followed we saw the smartphone spread to carriers across the globe and become a sales juggernaut. Samsung's hoping to catch that lightning again, and today it ushered in the era of its next Android flagship, announcing the Galaxy S IV at its Unpacked event at New York's Radio City Music Hall, with one of the biggest presentations we've ever seen. Samsung's JK Shin started things off by describing some of the GS4's key features: Dual Camera, Sound & Shot, Smart Scroll, Smart Pause, Air ...